Can opener



June 3, 1924. 1,496,227

- 0. H. JEWELL ET AL CAN OPENER Filed Dec. 31, 1923 w 7% ms.

A TTORNEX Patented June 3, 1924.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OMAR HESTB-IEN JEWELL AND WILLIAM MARSHALL JEWELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNORS T JEWELL ENGINEERING PORATION OF ILLINOIS.

COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A COB- CAN OPENER.

. Application filed December 31, 1923. Serial No. 683,723.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OMAR H. JEWELL and WILLIAM M. JEWELL, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, Illinois,

0 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can Openers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the class of can openers employing cutting wheelsand is an 1 improvement upon the arrangement of the essential arts, construction, and operation of these evices.

In the cutting of cans by this method we have found that it is very desirable to maintain a uniform elastic pressure on the rotating cutter and to adjust this pressure so that it will be just suflicient to afi'ord the necessary driving friction while yielding to any inequalities in the metal and to permit of 29 passing over a heavy seam without danger of breaking or dulling the cutter edge. In devices of this kind where the cutter is forced through the can and maintained in a fixed relation to the driving wheel a heavy pressure is brought to bear on uneven thicknesses and particularly at the vertical seam which results in injury to the device as a whole due to the heavy strains and especially to the cutter and knurled wheels. In devices depending upon hand pressure alone uneven cutting results and the tendency is to put on too great a pressure at the seams with the result that the cutter wheel soon becomes dull, the bearings and pivots loosened and the alignment, which is a most important essential for satisfactory service, lost.

The device illustrated in the accompanying drawing overcomes these objections and provides a convenient, reliable and durable means of cutting cans by reason of the peculiar arrangement and construction of its parts.

Figure 1 is a general view of the lower or underside. Fig. 2 a cross section at b-b of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a similar cross section at a-a of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 a top view of a portion of the handle showing the relative positions of the cutter and knurled driving wheels in operation.

The handle 1 is formed of fiat spring steel bent flatwise and quarter twisted at the ends which a e brought together as shown. The cutter w eel 2 is mounted by the screw 3 and locknut 4 on one of these ends and the IS knurled driving wheel 5 is mounted on the other end by the screwed stem 6, which is provided with a cross bar 7 for turning this wheel.

An eccentrically pivoted handle 8 is fastened to a cross piece 9 by the swivel screw 10 at one end and the other end of said cross piece is fastened to the same side of the main handle as the knurled wheel b a swivel screw 11. The member 9 is slotte at 12 and the screw 13, which is rigidly fixed in the end of the main handle carrying the cutter wheel, passes through the slot 12.

The cutter or opener is placed on the upper rim or flange of the can as shown 1n Fig. 4 by swinging the handle 8 outwardly so as to permit the cutter wheel to recede from the knurled wheel sufficiently to admit the can flange between these wheels; the knurled wheel being placed on the inside. When in this position, the handle 8 is closed, forcing the cutter wheel to puncture the side wall of the can, and bringing the knurled wheel tightly against the inner edge or fiange'. The cross bar 7 is then turned so as to revolve the can and cut it all around with exception of the seam, which, if too heavy to be cut through by the tension of the spring handle the first or second time the cutter wheel passes over it, is then broken off, if desired, by twisting the opener to the right and left once or twice depending upon the circumstances.

The tension of the handle 1 is outwardly so as to keep the end of the handle oarryin the cutter wheel away from the other en and when passing the seam the flexible portions 1' are bent inwardly by reason of the fulcrums at the screw 10 and point of contact of the handle 8. By making these tensions of just the right force the cutting wheel. runs around easily and without the knurled wheel slipping or sticking and the cutting wheel rides over the seam or any other obstruction liable to injure it; the slight space'l i, between the ends of the handle 1 and directly under the cross piece 9 affording ample movement for this purpose. It will be noted, however, that the outer ends of the handle 1 are normally in contact.

What we believe to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A can opener having a spring handle, a

cutter wheel and a knurled driving wheel mounted thereon in opposed relation to each other, and a secondar handle forcing said wheels toward each 0t er.

2. A can opener having a spring handle, a

cutter wheel and a knurled driving Wheel.

opposed relation to each other, a secondary handle forcing said Wheels toward each other and means for limitin the movement of said wheels in both directlons.

4. A can opener having a spring handle in the form of a U the ends of which are twisted. at right angles to the bent portion, a cutter wheel and a knurled wheel mounted on either end of said handle.

5. A can 0 ener comprising a spring handle in the orm of a U, a cutter wheel mounted on one end of said handle, a driving wheel mounted on the other end of said handle, a cross piece fastened to one of the ends of said handle and slotted to permit of a limited outward movement of the ends of said handle and to maintain said ends of the handle in alignment and a secondary handle pivoted to said cross piece for forcing the said wheels toward each other. I

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures hereto this twenty ninth day of December, 1923.

OMAR HESTRIEN JEWELL. WILLIAM MARSHALL J EWELL 

